


In Darkness Shines a Light

by Daydreamer



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Angst, Drama, M/M, Post Series, Series Spoilers, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-16
Updated: 2013-08-07
Packaged: 2017-12-15 03:18:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/844678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daydreamer/pseuds/Daydreamer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sasuke Uchiha chose to stand with his village against the threat that nearly threw the entire shinobi world into darkness and now he seeks to clean the corruption from it by taking the highest position. A test must measure his might, but is it the test that has him altering his perception of what is right or the person administering it?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Hibana on Ygallery upon request.

Lightning flashed a whip across the sky, creating a moment of sight before sending the world back into darkness once more. The rain began as a slight mist before the full fury of the hovering storm took to flight and began unleashing its fury on the entire village hidden safely at the base of a mountain; faces carved into the stone over the years created a monument to the heroes of the past, a visage of reverence for all to see. All young shinobi-in-training aspire to have their face one day grace the side of the mountain next to the large memorial of those who came before them.

To Sasuke Uchiha, it was less the need to be a hero and more of a desire to right the wrongs of a village that had stagnated in its own ruin and created monsters out of heros. So many had died for an ideal where there was only the corrupt need for power and control. Even he had allowed himself to be pulled in the undertow of the need for strength and power and control. His anger had festered and as such, ruled him to the point that it now partially defined who he was. There was no retrieving the wide-eyed boy that had been left alone in the aftermath of a massacre. That child was dead, killed along with his parents and clansmen. Like a dark phoenix, he rose from the ashes and became someone else. He might have made his peace with the past, but it still haunted him.

Every night he found sleep to be an elusive spirit sifting through his fingers no matter how furtively he reached to grasp it. Every night he stood on the rooftops of the house he had been assigned after Obito's defeat and his less than celebrated return to the village he had abandoned. Staring at the turbulent sky above him, he blinked rapidly against the harsh drops stinging his face. His hair was plastered against his face and his body was as motionless as a statue.

This place...this village...little had changed in the four years since the truth of Obito was brought to light and he ushered into being the Fourth Shinobi War. The scars on the land were just beginning to heal, but the scars on the people would remain long after the battle for the lives of all, civilian and shinobi alike. Sasuke was no different, though his scars ran deeper than most.

Eyes, dark abysses possessing a power few could even dream of, drifted down to stare at the sleeping village. Lights flickered through shuttered windows and the occasional dog barked in the distance as the storm raged, as if the storm could even hope to wash clean all that was. It would take more than a cleansing rain to wash clean the corruption that had gripped this village.

Lifting a hand to his chest, he stared impassively at the world that he had returned to, a world he had thought to leave behind. His claim to Hokage was more than a boast or a dream. He had spoken only the truth when he had stepped on the battlefield and offered up his promise to become Hokage. The village still reeked with darkness even blacker than that forever residing inside him. He would wash this village clean of the stench and make it into a place worthy of his brother's devotion. The village was not there yet, but he would make it so even if it took his entire life to do so.

And then there was Naruto.

His...friend? Was that what they were? It was so hard for him to understand these bonds that he seemed unable to throw away. He had shrugged off any connection to his former teammates and yet they kept coming at him, wearing him down until he could do nothing but bow beneath the onslaught of bonds he did not ask to receive.

Naruto had laid a claim to the position of Hokage as well. It was a claim he had boasted for as long as Sasuke could remember, even before the darkness was placed inside him. Every chance he got, that idiotic blond would screech out his promise of one day holding the highest position in the village and having the respect of the entire village. 

And he could probably do it. Naruto was honorable, a trait found in very few shinobi these days. He could take up that mantle and maybe even do something about the village and its stagnant ways. He was a good person with a pure and honest soul, but good people were not the ones needed in positions such as Hokage. Naruto was too nice. He saw the good in everyone, even those with a kunai placed against his throat. To Naruto, everyone could be saved.

Sasuke laughed—the first sign of life in his body since taking up his position on the roof. He threw his head back, sending droplets of water slinging, and roared out his insane laughter at the sheer incredulity that goodness could be found in everyone. Naruto could never make the choices that needed to be made. His heart was not black enough to order the assignation of someone or the several someones that posed a threat. Changing those people would be his first objective.

He supposed he should be more respectful and understanding of that way of thinking. Naruto had been certain that Sasuke could be saved even when all others lost their faith in him. But the truth was, he was no different now than he had been when he sought the destruction of his home in retribution for his brother's sacrifice. The only difference in him was that now he sought to fix what his brother had loved so much and sacrificed himself for. The village hidden in the leaves had been created with a pure ideal in mind, but had rotted away on the inside. To repair what the cancer inside was eating away, pieces of the whole would have to be cut away.

Naruto could never do what needed to be done. But Sasuke...Sasuke had thrown away his childhood innocence and guile in favor of the darkness of reality. He had grown hard and was prepared to do whatever it took to heal this village even if it went against the very ideal under which the village was founded.

Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and breathed in the scent of rain rising from all around. His face remained upturned and he wondered if he stood here long enough, would the rain would wash away every doubt and fear that haunted him—all those small touches of darkness that whispered in his mind for him to kill all who stood in his way. Orochimaru's curse might be gone, but it left an echo in him that would never disappear. 

His eyes fluttered open and he listened to the sounds around him. The patter of rain falling hard and fast on the stucco roofs around him. The sound of the world being cleansed and renewed. And in that moment, he felt the shadows creeping and shifting around him, but gave no sign of noticing. Silent steps were unheard as the presence behind him stepped close. 

An assassin would be foolish to make an attempt on his life. His skills were higher than the average jounin, surpassing even those of his former master. Anyone who attacked him was assured death in a most painful manner.

But the shadow did not attack. It remained just that, a shadow hidden in the darkness and obscured by the rain. In some strange way, he took comfort in the mysterious presence even as his hand prepared to draw a weapon and attack at the slightest provocation. Sasuke Uchiha was no fool. Even a moment of camaraderie would not prevent him from shoving a kunai deep into the heart of any who sought his premature death.

And there were many who longed for that pleasure.

The Great Shinobi war might be at its end, but that did not stop those who held grudges against him for his past deeds and sought his demise. The bonds created by the villages during the war were as thin as they were fragile. Allies might have been formed in the moment of desperation for a seemingly unbeatable foe, but old habits die hard and many of the villages had been enemies for too long to be anything but the barest of allies.

The war was finished, but the world spun on.

Sasuke reached out with his senses, trying to get a bead on the person hiding within the shadows. "I know you're there. Show yourself."

There was only silence, but such was not unexpected. He never really expected the person standing silently nearby to actually respond to his demand, particularly so if he sought his death. It was really just the need to affirm this connection between them, two strangers standing in the middle of a storm.

"They say the rain makes things clean, but that is just a lie. It isn't the rain that cleans but the people." Sasuke lowered his gaze from the sky and focused on the village before him. "If you're here to kill me, you're going to have to do better than this."

There was only silence and the rain—no shifting of body or catching of breath. If not for Sasuke's razor sharp instincts, he probably never would have known another shinobi stood several feet away, hidden by the dark and shadows.

"If you're not here to kill me, go stare at someone else." Sasuke began to grow annoyed at the continued silence from his unseen companion. Having had enough of the silence and mystery, his eyes flared to life, swirling crimson with his sharingan. He whirled where he stood; ready to attack the person who was causing his hair to stand on end. With deadly speed and precise skill, he launched three kunai from his hand in the direction of the mysterious person invading his solitude, only to have them plow deeply into the stucco siding of the chimney.

There was no one there. The person watching him had fled, leaving only the faintest rising of steam where the cool rain had once touched a warm body.

"Damn it."

Sasuke stood staring at where the kunai stuck from the building. There was that faint ozone smell that accompanied the use of jutsu, but it too quickly faded under the assault of the rain on the world and all traces of his silent watcher was washed away. The thought caused a laugh to spill from him and he threw his head back at the irony. The one thing he did not want washed away was gone almost before he could see the faint traces left behind while the things he despised about this village continued to run rampant.

Oh, the irony burned. He wanted to know who could possibly have the balls to sneak up on him and then the skill to evade his attack. He would find this person.

oOo

After a rain, the heat and humidity was almost unbearable. Even shinobi trained to withstand any environment appeared as limp as wilted grass beneath the onslaught of nature. A lifetime of living in Fire Country could barely prepare people for the heat and those coming from milder climates could barely withstand the heat.

Sasuke was just as miserable as everyone else, but he showed it less than most. The faint misting of sweat on his skin and the way his hair seemed to droop just the slightest bit were the telling signs that he was just as human as the others standing in the mission room. A poor genin had been sent to inform him of a mission. It had almost been amusing to watch the young boy stumble over the words when standing before the infamous Sasuke Uchiha. People still crossed the road when he walked down the street. 

They were afraid, and they should be. If they knew all the things he had done, they would have no problem stringing him up regardless that his participation in the previous war was the weight that had brought them victory and saved them from an existence of slavery under Madara Uchiha's Infinite Tsukuyomi plan. Sasuke was a dangerous man and his skills were near legendary, but even he had been thrown into a tailspin after the unvarnished truth fell from his brother's lips in the last moments of his resurrection.

If not for his need to understand, he never would have sought to bring Orochimaru back from whatever hell he had resided in, able to only watch without a body to do anything. Without him, the first four Hokages would never have been brought back into existence. No matter how many shinobi threw themselves before that ten tailed monster, they were nothing but fodder for that creature even with the Kyūbi's seemingly endless chakra. It had taken more than bodies to bring down the beast and its keepers. In a lot of ways, his choices are what turned the tide in the war, because no matter Naruto's will of fire or the combined strength of all five kages, they all fought a losing battle against Obito, Madara, and the ten tailed beast they brought into being.

Sasuke remembered the events of that day well. It was burned into his mind like a brand so that he would never forget it. Orochimaru had split open death itself and ripped apart the veil, at Sasuke's instruction, to bring into being the four men that had witnessed the history of the village and the shinobi world. He had wanted to know, needed to know, what it was that made people want to keep protecting something that had only brought pain to them. He'd needed to know what was worth saving that his brother was willing to die a villain in order to protect it, sacrificing not only his life but that of his entire clan and the very sanity of his younger brother.

When those four men had stood before him and spoken of the history witnessed with their own eyes, he had felt something stir inside his heart. Perhaps it was an understanding, but he was unsure. His ancestors had died in a war that was as pointless as war always was and he was willingly walking that path long treaded for no reason other than the anger that burned never endingly in his stomach. If he wanted to be honest with himself, it was the First's eyes that had shoved him from his carefully thought out path and into the wilderness of the unknown. Hashirama Senju's eyes, sclera dark with the power of the jutsu that tugged him from the abyss of death, had awoken something in Sasuke—something unknown...something he was careful not to over-analyze for fear of what the answer would reveal to him.

"Sasuke!"

Sasuke's head jerked up just in time to see Naruto Uzumaki trot up to him with a broad grin on his face followed more sedately by their pink haired former teammate. "Where have you been hiding?"

"Nowhere."

Naruto snorted and slapped Sasuke on the back. "If you want to be Hokage, you better start winning over the people."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and folded his arms over his chest. "The position is not an elected one, moron."

"Well, that's not exactly true," said Sakura as she walked up. "The members of the village council are the ones who appoint the Hokage and they listen to both the current Hokage and the people when choosing who will be given the position."

"Really?" asked Naruto with a gleam in his eyes. "I'm a shoe in then. Granny Tsunade is going to nominate me for sure."

"Like I said...idiot. I think that woman would be more likely to nominate the person she trained herself rather than some happy go lucky moron that probably doesn't know the difference between his ass and a hole in the ground."

Naruto's face grew red. He turned on his heel and swung a punch at Sasuke, which he deftly avoided and only served to frustrate the blond idiot all the more. Taking a jump backward, he continued to avoid Naruto's swings, a small smile curving his lips as steam practically rose from his former teammates flushed cheeks. He knew from years of experience that the amused look he wore on his face only served to rile him up all the more.

"Hey, stop fighting in here, you two." Sakura stepped forward and placed a firm hand on Naruto's chest and caught his following punch in the palm of her hand. "I mean it. Naruto, go home and get cleaned up, your mission left you filthy. Sasuke, go to the Hokage's office. She wants to speak with you."

Sasuke sent a passing smirk in Naruto's direction, enjoying the angry flush that colored tan cheeks before he walked calmly down the hall to where twin ANBU guards stood watch over the double doors leading into the Hokage's office. The two masked shinobi glanced at each other before one knocked and upon hearing the answering call, pushed open the door before stepping back for Sasuke to enter.

His instincts kicked in and his eyes did a quick scan of the room, noting all possible items that could be used for weapons as well as all possible entrances and exits. He noted Lady Tsunade was seated behind the desk and a kimono wearing man with long, dark hair stood with his back to Sasuke as he looked out over the village that was visible from the window.

With narrowed eyes, he turned his gaze back to Tsunade and waited for her to begin the briefing, effectively dismissing the man from all but his most instinctual thoughts. He would react if attacked, but judging from the relaxed stance of the man and the faint thrum of calmly flowing chakra, he was a minimal threat at best and could be easily taken down if need be. Once his mission was given, then he would acknowledge the man who was likely the paying client.

Tsunade laced her fingers together and stared at Sasuke for several drawn out moments. Her intelligent gaze drifted from the top of his head where the hitai-ate wrapped around his forehead down over the black shirt and pants to his bandage wrapped calves and sandaled feet. From the outside, he looked the standard shinobi, but if one really knew who he was, they would know he was one of the three strongest in this village, and perhaps even the entire shinobi world.

She heaved a sigh and turned her attention to the man standing at the window. "You seriously want him now?"

There was a pause before the man nodded almost unperceivably. Now Sasuke was curious as to who this man was that Tsunade deferred to. It was not unusual for a client to request a particular shinobi, such as in the case of Kakashi Hatake. He was so well known that his services were in high demand even if he was no longer in his fighting prime. But to request Sasuke, he was the last person requested on his notoriety alone.

That knowledge had Sasuke narrowing his eyes at the man. He took in the build of his body and the way he held himself. Though he could not see his face, he knew the man was monitoring the entire room with the carefulness of a seasoned warrior. This man was no civilian and Sasuke almost slapped himself in the face for having dismissed him so readily. It was a weakness in his character to focus so completely on the task at hand, easily dismissing things that might seem irrelevant at the time. Sometimes he thought himself as bad as Naruto with his look before leaping mentality.

"It must be fair and now it's his turn to prove himself to me," said the man calmly.

The voice awoke a memory in him and if he was not of the caliber he was, might have started at the sound. As the man turned, he knew that face for it was burned into his memory just as clearly as the voice. His words were what turned him from one path and sent him careening down a completely different route.

Standing before him was none other than Hashirama Senju, founder of the Leaf village and one of its saviors. Little had changed in his visage since that day four years ago when he and Orochimaru had pulled him from the belly of the shinigami along with the other three Hokages. It was in some ways sort of amusing that all four Hokage had found their way into Death's stomach. 

Hashirama inclined his head and smiled in Sasuke's direction. The whites of his eyes retained their black stain, combining with the darks of his irises to create a disconcerting look. The skin on his face however, had lost that sandy cracked texture and was much like it would be in life, tanned darkly from a lifetime in the elements, likely due to some sort of healing from his granddaughter. Thin lips curved with a hint of a smile and Sasuke quickly moved his gaze elsewhere to take in the entire package.

"Hello again, Sasuke Uchiha."

Sasuke swallowed quickly to hide the sudden dryness of his throat and spoke. "Why are you still here, old man?"

The slight curve of his lips slid easily into a broad grin. "Why shouldn't I be here?"

"The others...they're gone."

Hashirama sighed dramatically and began strolling about the office, as if he had not a care in the world. "Death is final, and I can't leave until I know my legacy will live on."

"That's bullshit."

Both Hashirama and Tsunade lifted a brow at his outburst and he had to fight to keep a blush from staining his cheeks. He hated feeling as if he was being examined under a microscope. There were few people who could instill that feeling in him and two of them were present in the room.

"Why is it bullshit?" asked Hashirama calmly.

"It's bullshit because you're only allowed one life."

The First Hokage threw back his head and laughed long and hard. It caused Sasuke to shift nervously because he could not read the man. It was like staring into a black hole all the while knowing that something was staring back at him.

"What's so funny?" he asked, the jumping in his jaw and the drop in timbre of his voice the only signs at how uncomfortable he was in that moment.

"I find it amusing, Sasuke, because it was you who brought me back into existence...well you and your teacher."

"And you served your purpose, so you should be gone."

Hashirama leaned a hip against Tsunade's desk and folded his arms across his chest. "That's not how it works. A jutsu like this...there is no real way to control it. It's true that all the others have passed on, but I'm not ready to journey back to the abyss. They chose to return to their rest, but I'm not ready."

"Why not?"

"I don't know, maybe because I'm just not ready. You see the weakness in that resurrection jutsu of your master is that it's eternal. Once the soul is pulled back into this dimension and given a body, they are alive again and can choose when to return to life or death. Most choose death again because there is nothing left for them here or they long to give their loved ones peace. It's complicated as to why someone would choose to stay or return to death. It's an individual choice."

"Then what do you have that is keeping you here?"

"Everything. Consider me a guardian spirit of this village if it makes things easier for you to grasp."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "What about your wife? Isn't she waiting for you on the other side."

Hashirama paused and a tender look ghosted across his face. "Ah, Mito. She was a good girl and gave me a child, but our marriage was arranged and at the time, there was nothing keeping me from following through with it even though neither of us loved one another. She was simply a renewed connection to the Uzumaki clan. I grew to care for her, but I never loved her and she knew it. We both had our own lives. She was always the mother of my son, but never more than that. Those of the Uzumaki clan were always an interesting lot."

The image of Naruto and his antics through their childhood flooded Sasuke's mind. "That's putting it mildly."

Tsunade cleared her throat, breaking into the conversation. "If you two are finished, we should get down to business."

"Ah, sweet Tsu, all business. I thought I taught you better."

A snort escaped Tsunade and she rolled her eyes. "You taught me to gamble and gave me my first drink. I don't know if I should thank you or beat you into the ground until you're nothing but a bloody smear."

Her gaze softened for a moment before returning to a look of business. "But you also taught me when to focus on the task at hand and when to play."

Hashirama smiled fondly at her and gestured for her to continue with a sweeping motion of his hand. Sasuke's eyes were easily drawn to the hands. They were lean and callused, ideal hands for a shinobi. It was well known of Hashirama Senju's skill with ninjutsu. He had witnessed it firsthand.

"Against my advice and obviously his better judgment, my grandfather has requested the opportunity to test you."

Sasuke blinked dumbly for a moment. "Pardon."

"You expressed a desire to become Hokage. Here's your chance. He's already had his time with Sakura and Naruto and as much as I tried to convince him otherwise, he insisted to have time with you as well." 

Tsunade stood and prowled to where Sasuke stood stiffly. Her hand shot forward and latched onto the high neck of Sasuke's shirt, forcing him forward until their noses almost touched. "Listen here, you worthless power hungry brat, if given the choice, I would rather have you in prison with your chakra sealed than as a contender for the position of Hokage, but my grandfather's will holds a lot more sway than mine. He says he wants the chance to measure your worth and no matter how much I argue with him, he is a lot like Naruto in that once he has made his decision, nothing can turn him from it. So, you'll have your chance to impress him and show him why you should be the next Hokage."

She released her grip on Sasuke and moved back to the desk, propping her hip and crossing her arms in a rather disturbingly similar mimic to Hashirama's pose. Sasuke remained a bit on edge, his impulse to attack still rising high in him after feeling the killing intent coming from the Hokage. A long honed nature forged in a time of war was hard to fight even in a time of peace.

Sasuke turned his dark peerless eyes to Hashirama, meeting his intense gaze. It was so strange how he could go from laughing fool to intense and deadly shinobi in the blink of an eye. It was almost unreal and he wondered which was his true personality and which was the mask.

"It's obvious that Lady Tsunade doesn't want me to have the position, why are you any different? I don't take kindly to jokes made at my expense."

Hashirama tilted his head and stared intently at Sasuke. "It's no joke, I assure you. If you're serious in your wish to hold this office, then prove it to me."

"Why?"

"Because I believe in giving everyone a fair chance and you're no different. The input of my granddaughter has been noted and yet here you stand." 

Hashirama unfolded his arms and approached Sasuke. All of his instincts fired to life and he fought will all his strength to keep from jumping back. The power in this man was unlike anything he had ever felt. His chakra stores alone were immense, possibly even dwarfing those possessed by Naruto. Compared to the average shinobi, Sasuke was an unbeatable power, but next to this man, he felt like nothing more than a child.

The dark orbs of Hashirama's eyes stared into him as he bent forward. "Are you ready to be tested, Sasuke Uchiha?"


	2. Chapter 2

Sasuke tossed a change of clothes, some necessary items such as additional weapons, field rations, flint, along with a small med kit into a small traveling bag. He'd been given an hour to prepare before heading to the front gate. Staring intently into the bag, he judged its contents with an experienced eye. After years of living the life of a missing nin, he was used to surviving on the barest of essentials. Now that he was going off with the First Hokage for a few days, he was unsure what to bring, so he packed everything that any shinobi worth his weight would pack for a generic mission. In any case, he was not told to bring anything specific so he packed for any foreseeable event.

As he finished packing, he thought back on the morning, causing an expression on confusion spread over his face. The looks he received from Sakura and Naruto were of surprise and in Naruto's case, personal offense—probably due to Naruto's long running sense of competition with him that stretched back to their days at the academy. After so many years, he could read Naruto Uzumaki like an open book. First Hokage Hashirama and the current Hokage,Tsunade, had admitted to both Sakura and Naruto having separately been taken away previously so to judge their suitability to the role of Hokage and gauge their strength. He was curious as to their experiences with the First, but annoyingly, neither volunteered any information that would help or interfere with his goal to gaining Hashirama Senju's backing and he did not ask them for advice.

He had half-expected Naruto to open his big mouth and spill out every detail of his experience the moment he exited the Hokage's office and had shot his former teammate a knowing smirk just to see how the annoying idiot would act. When he didn't respond with bragging and drawn out descriptions of the time spent during his examination, Sasuke was willing to admit more than a little surprise at the tightly closed lips. What had gone on during their time with Hashirama Senju to keep them silent? Had they been ordered to remain quiet or were they simply hoping to keep him from reaching his goal by failing to offer any insight into their experiences? It could be either or neither.

Sasuke tossed another kunai into the bag and sat back on his single bed with a contemplative expression. He was not sure why he was particularly surprised at their reaction to him. Over the last few years, he had not exactly endeared himself to his former teammates. On a mission, he performed within the scope of the mission parameters and no further. They occasionally invited him to group gatherings, but he attended only sparingly. Naruto made more of an effort than Sakura, but both seemed unsure as to where his loyalties truly lied. He knew he should have been executed after the war, as did they. That he was not and even reinstated in the village as an active shinobi was enough to baffle anyone. But still, he kept his distance from them. Growing too close to anyone was a risk he was unwilling to take.

The truth was, a part of him was disgusted with them. Both seemed completely content with the village as it was. There were small things that he knew irked Naruto, such as the continued use of a seal on the branch family of Hyuuga and how the Fire Country daimyo had a say in the running of the village, sometimes taxing the villagers even when they barely had the money to feed themselves. What frustrated him was how Naruto seemed complacent in many things. There were so many things that needed to be done and no one seemed willing to step up to do them.

Shaking his head, he clenched a hand on the thin blanket beneath him. He wanted to blame Naruto for not seeing the truth hidden beneath the surface, but in actuality, the village had been like this for so long, change was not going to come easily or willingly. It would take more than someone to sign paperwork and approve missions. Tsunade was a genius as a medic and had trained Sakura well in that regards, but she was merely maintaining the village as Hokage rather than saving it from itself. True, Naruto would not be a bad Hokage; but he, like the Lady Tsunade, was not what this village needed--at least not yet.

He grabbed his bag and filled his water canteen from the faucet in the kitchen before walking out the door of his apartment and locking it behind him. The air still maintained a familiar heaviness of humidity along with the normal heat and caused a bead of sweat to trickle along his neck as he walked calmly down the stairs and out into the bright sun. While waiting for his eyes to adjust to the light, he paused to take in the atmosphere around him. Smells of spoiling fruit and vegetables from the nearby bazaar assaulted him and the sounds of children playing reached his sensitive ears. Even now, after several years back in the village, it seemed almost strange to be there. So much had changed and yet so very much remained the same. Despite the peaceful air about the place, he knew what lay beneath the depths. Danzo's death did little to halt the putrification of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. He was only part of the problem as a whole--possibly even a symptom.

Dust was kicked up on the road as he walked calmly through the winding streets toward the main road leading from the village. He ignored the barely contained whispers from the elderly and the giggles from girls barely hitting puberty. His continued inhabitance of Konoha was still the talk of the town for varying reasons, most of them not pleasant. There were times when he wondered if his brother's love of this place was completely misplaced.

"The village does have its dark side and its inconsistencies, but I'm still Konoha's Itachi Uchiha." Those words still rang clear in his mind and fermented his decision. He would make this village what it should be, whatever the cost he needed to pay. Somehow, he would make the village worthy of his brother even if he had to tear it down and rebuild anew.

He passed another group of women gossiping. Their conversation immediately shifted to him and he fought the urge to roll his eyes. Of course, there was speculation on the reasons for him being allowed to stay in the village following his treasonous initial leave. Some believed the elders of the village wanted him to revive his long dead clan and its powerful dōjutsu. The thought in itself was absolutely ridiculous as the sharingan, while powerful, was rare; and when it manifested, it quickly degraded the eyes, shaving years off a shinobi career. If he had not accepted his brother's eyes, he would have long since lost his ability to see. Long lived shinobi were better than those that only had a few useful years. No, the eyes were not the reason he was allowed to return.

And of course, Sasuke had no intention of passing on the curse of his bloodline to any child. The Uchiha line would die with him unless it turned out that Itachi had a few bastards running about. That image had him almost dropping his disinterested expression and full out laughing. Not that he cared what people thought of him, but he would rather them not think him any more bat shit crazy than they already did.

Itachi having bastards strained incredulity to its limit. His brother was far too honorable a man to leave a girl pregnant. No, the Uchiha line would die with Sasuke and he was fine with it.

"Hey, Uchiha! You need to sign out."

The yell caused him to pause in him aimless walk and turn to stare at the two shinobi seated at the check-in point near the gate. Those two morons were still manning the gate after all this time and he fought to keep his expression uninterested as he dropped his bag by the gate and walked to where the shinobi sign-out sheet was.

"Just because you're a high and mighty Uchiha doesn't mean you can do whatever you want," growled the shinobi with spiky black hair.

"You're the same as any of us and abide by the same rules," added the second. "You're nothing like your brother. Itachi Uchiha was an honorable shinobi."

Sasuke gave a disinterested grunt and signed on the marked line, though inside he was seething at the mention of Itachi's name. He wanted to slam his fist into both the shinobis' faces. The paperwork of such an incident, however, was not something he had any desire to deal with. Neither was worth his ire anyway. They were the least of his concerns within the village.

He didn't stop moving as he grabbed his bag and continued out the gate, having thrown both men from his mind as easily as he would throw out a piece of trash. Their petty complaints were nothing in the greater scheme of the village. Even their names were lost to him. He would deal with them only when he was forced to do so. Neither would ever be more than chunin fodder.

"You're right on time, Sasuke Uchiha. I wonder what that says about you?"

A sudden shock went through him and he jerked his gaze to the man standing with his back pressed to the wall surrounding the village just a few feet to the right of the gate. Why hadn't he sensed his presence as he exited the gates? Even shinobi who hid their chakra left something of an empty void and those with enough skill in chakra manipulation could sense that void and discern where hidden enemies were even when their chakra was masked. Sasuke was one such person. He should have sensed that man as a part of his mind always instinctively scanned new areas as he entered them. Was it a side effect of the resurrection jutsu or was it something else entirely?

"You!"

"You seem surprised. I told you I would wait for you here."

Sasuke clenched his jaw and stared at Hashirama Senju. He found it even more difficult to withhold his emotions around the man. It was almost as if he was trying to pry them out with every interaction between them. "Let's just get going."

"Call me Hashirama. There is no need for formality." Hashirama smiled broadly and tucked his hands into the sleeves of his kimono. "As I was saying, you can tell a lot about a person by when they arrive to a meeting. Take Naruto for example."

Fighting a roll of his eyes at the mention of Naruto, Sasuke shot Hashirama a glare. "What about him?"

"He was nearly twenty minutes early as opposed to Sakura who was ten minutes late. And then there is you, exactly on time, down to the minute."

"So?"

"Well, someone who is early tends to be someone who is eager to please. They want to learn everything. This is both good and bad in that being eager to please could also result in them being a foot mat for everyone. Not always, but it is hard for an eager person to say no when something is asked of them, even if it goes against their principles."

He couldn't argue with that and in some ways, it did describe Naruto. All his life, Naruto had fought hard for recognition and desperately wished to please those who took him on as a student and the people he considered friends. Like Hashirama had said, it wasn't a bad thing in its purest form, but it could be used as a weakness by the right person. It brought back a memory of the final battle when Naruto hesitated to attack when an opening presented itself. He was unwilling to risk in order to obtain the win even if waiting would cost more lives than sacrificing a few early on. That Sasuke acted on that opening was still a sore issue between them.

"I see your point."

Hashirama smiled brightly at Sasuke. "Then, how would you analyze Sakura? She arrived at our meeting place ten minutes late."

"Unconcerned or perhaps she doesn't really want to be Hokage."

A considering expession spread across Hashirama's features. "True, it could be, but I don't think that describes our Sakura. Sakura does care for the village, perhaps a little too much. She is taking on more than her share of duties, working as not only a full time medic in the village, but also taking on high ranking missions. She is stretched very thin. In a way, she is much like Naruto, but she is doing so for different reasons."

Now Sasuke was curious. "What reasons?"

"I spent a lot of time talking with Sakura during our time together. She is a very capable kunoichi and proud of being my granddaughter's student. She told me of her genin years and how she was considered mediocre at best, her only redeeming quality being her near perfect chakra control. I think that Sakura has an inferiority complex and she stretches herself so thin to prove that she is worthy when she has already done so a hundred times over. If she was Hokage now, I think she would be burned out in a year or two."

"So you won't be recommending Sakura then?"

"Sadly, no. She is very capable, and in a few years when she becomes more confident in herself, I think she would do well in the office, but if I had to put my backing behind a candidate at this very moment, she would not be the horse I would bet on."

Sasuke turned his gaze back to the road they walked down. "I see."

He should have been ecstatic. It was one less competitor in which he had to surpass in order to reach his goal. Only Naruto blocked the road to being Hokage.

A laugh threatened to be ripped from him. When had he begun to think of it as a competition? He was certain Naruto had always seen it as such, but then again, everything he and Naruto had done as children had been an almost competition. Why would it be any different as adults?

"Is something funny?"

"You wouldn't understand," said Sasuke.

Hashirama cocked his head to one side and arched a brow. "Try me."

"Naruto and I always seem to be in one competition or another with each other. Even when I left, it was a competition to get stronger." Sasuke shook his head and adjusted his pack on his back. "What's funny is that I never had any desire to compete with him, but somehow, I was always pulled into it regardless of my desires on the matter."

"Did you think of him as unworthy of competing with you?"

Sasuke allowed a smile to crease his lips as he thought back on his childhood and the days of happiness that he tried to forget and yet still held onto with an iron grip. "At first. He was an idiot who could not even perform the simplest jutsu."

"But it changed?"

"Yes."

"How?"

The memories washed back on him. Him and Naruto racing up trees to see who could reach the top first and marking their progress with slices from a kunai. Eating competitions. Feeling the warm wash of blood coating his hand as he plowed a fist through his friend's chest at the end of a battle. He did not want to remember those days because he was no longer that boy. That Sasuke Uchiha no longer existed in this world. "It just did."

"Honest competition isn't a bad thing."

Sasuke gave a small hum and the two continued down the road for a ways more. The silence gave him time to think and bury the memories in favor of focusing on the task at hand. He considered what Hashirama had told him about Sakura and Naruto. It wasn't anything he did not already know on some level. It meant that everything he did would be judged, even the menial things such as walking and talking. He would need to consider his words quickly and carefully in the future.

He wasn't sure how long the silence lasted, but never during the time did it seem like simple silence. Every so often, Hashirama would make a comment about a change in the area since his lifetime. It wasn't so much conversation as it was simply giving pause to break the silence with companionable noise. Little of what he said seemed to require a response.

"You haven't asked me about what I thought of you and arriving precisely on time," said Hashirama amicably after a while.

"I'm sure you've already judged me regarding it. Telling me of it would not change your mind on the issue." Sasuke made the comment without thinking and if he were a lesser man, he would have slapped his own forehead at such an idiotic turn of phrase. It was not something Naruto would have said, but the way he presented was definitely influenced by Naruto's lack of a brain-mouth barrier. He knew he was being judged and yet he said the first thing that came to mind without thinking.

Hashirama chuckled cheerfully, seeming greatly amused by Sasuke's words. "You remind me so much of Madara."

"Most could consider that a bad thing," said Sasuke dryly.

"True, but the real Madara, the Madara not warped and broken by war and mistrust and death, the Madara I knew as a child, he was someone I would be willing to fight for and die with. What we had was special and it defied the rules of our reality. That is the Madara you remind me of, but don't think of that as an assurance of your being named Hokage. What you remind me of plays no part in who I decide to back for the position. You have to stand on your own and prove to me that you would be the best person to lead the village."

"I'm surprised Lady Tsunade didn't ask you to take over for her."

Hashirama threw back his head and laughed. "Oh, she did. But as I told her, I had my time in that office. It's better to let the youth carry on for us in the end."

Sasuke grunted and paused when Hashirama suddenly veered off into the forest lining both sides of the road. A quick glance to the sky showed they had spent almost four hours walking. It was rare that he became so enveloped in walking to cause time to pass without thought.

"Come along, Sasuke. We have a lot to do."

Sasuke heaved a sigh and followed quickly through the foliage. Now that they were off the main road, any sign of civilization faded very quickly. Their surroundings were not the only change. Hashirama no longer ambled along at a comfortable pace. He took to the trees almost immediately and sped quickly along a trail only he could follow, leaving Sasuke struggling to keep up.

It was not often that Sasuke found it difficult to follow another shinobi. In most cases, the other shinobi struggled to keep up with his natural speed. Hashirama was indeed quiet spry considering his age.

Sasuke released an inaudible snort. As if age really mattered. Hashirama Senju, even at the moment of his death, had been the most powerful shinobi in existence. In his resurrected life, he was brought back into the prime. His face held only the faintest lines of age marking his eyes and lips while the remainder of his features remained smooth and blemish free.

A small part of Sasuke's brain trilled excitedly as he struggled to keep Hashirama in his sights. It was as much a chase as it was a guided trail toward where they would be spending however long it took Hashirama to take his measure. The more primitive part of Sasuke was excited by the prospect of a challenge and it roused to the surface long tamped down emotions.

Time faded away as he began to push himself. He siphoned more and more chakra into his muscles, but each time he sped up his pace, Hashirama increased his own. For a moment, he thought he saw a happy grin flash across the former Hokage's face before he turned away and they continued ahead in their impromptu race.

All of a sudden Hashirama stopped leading the chase and dropped down from the trees into a clearing. Sasuke easily followed him and stopped at his side. Sweat dripped down his face and into the high neck of his black shirt. He didn't pant, but did have trouble keeping his breathing at a completely relaxed rhythm--the only sign he was winded.

Hashirama looked calm and relaxed, his breath at complete ease and only the very finest sheen of sweat coating his face and neck. Sasuke was forced to tamp down the annoyance that came from someone having pushed themselves and him, only to be not even the slightest bit winded. How did the man do it?

Dark eyes turned to Sasuke and softened. "You did well. Keeping up with me isn't easy."

"Is it your chakra?"

Hashirama shook his head as he reached for the obi on his kimono and slid the silky material from his shoulders. Sasuke stiffened and was about to look away when a dark shirt with fishnet sleeves was revealed and his hakama pants were shed to reveal standard shinobi trousers. 

He was stunned at the body that was revealed. Shinobi clothing wasn't necessarily revealing, exceptions notwithstanding, but Hashirama always seemed to wear more than most. In battle, he looked to be a samurai of old in heavy armor and in relaxation, his kimono and hakama pants completely hid his body from view. Now neither of those interfered with seeing the strong body, barely hidden beneath the tight shirt. A little less was revealed by the trousers, but enough was visible for the imagination to finish what the eyes started.

The man possessed a leanly muscled body, firm muscles pulled taut beneath tight skin. The armor he wore when first summoned was deceptive, making him look much thicker and broader. Today standing beneath the trickling light of the tree line skirting the edge of the clearing, he looked less a god and more a man. And indubitably more real.

Hashirama reached into a hidden pouch and removed a tie, pulling his long dark hair back into a ponytail high on his head so that the long tresses waved like a flag as he moved. "To a degree it's chakra, I suppose, but the truth is that I became fast because I needed to be able to match Uchiha speed...to surpass it even. After a while, it became second nature to me."

He tugged off a weapon pouch and tossed it aside with his discarded kimono and hakama. "You're naturally fast, faster than most. That makes you deadly, but you could train yourself to be so much more. Uchiha always had a natural talent for the shinobi arts. The Uchiha possessed the insane skill and the Uzumaki possessed such amazing chakra."

With a grin he began to laugh, the rich deep sound rippling through Sasuke and he fought down the shudder of pleasure that worked through his body. "What's funny?"

"My clan, the Senju, was always acclaimed as being the most powerful, but that wasn't true at all." Hashirama's eyes narrowed in his mirth. "Oh, don't get me wrong, my ancestors milked that belief for everything it was worth, but we weren't as gifted in the arts as the Uchiha. It was our wood release skill that earned us fame, but so few were born with the ability that it could hardly be called a clan ability. I was the only one in my generation to have access to it. One person having a power does not a powerful clan make. It's funny that our two clans were at constant war because together we could have created such a strong shinobi race, that few, if any, could have stopped us."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed in thought before widened visibly. "You mean the rinnegan."

"The Uchiha clan was the lock and the Senju clan was the key. Madara discovered that, but kept the knowledge to himself. It's just as well, I suppose. That power is not something that should be abused."

The words were left unspoken, but Sasuke heard them all the same. Like the sharingan. To his credit, he did not flinch upon hearing the implied comment.

"Why did you bring me here?" he asked. "It seems to me that maybe you've already made a decision."

Hashirama cocked his head before turning on his heel and walking out into the center of the clearing. The sun caught the lighter highlights in his long hair as he moved into position. "Nothing in the world is written in stone. Now, come at me, Sasuke Uchiha. Show me your reason for staying in the village that you hate so much. Show me your resolve."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"You can't hide what you feel as easily as you might think. Hatred is a dangerous thing to possess, in any form. It is a sign of fear." Hashirama placed the palms of his hands together. "Now, come at me."

Long elegant fingers began moving with practiced skill and suddenly Sasuke felt the tingling of instinct ripple through him, his body moving without thought, lunging gracefully from where he stood as large wooden spikes shot up from beneath the ground. Even without any visible weapons, Hashirama Senju was a very dangerous man to face against and it showed in the skill that very nearly clipped him. If he were less of a shinobi, that attack would have killed him where he stood.

"Come at me, Sasuke. No holds barred. But, if you don't mind, let's keep summons from this fight. I need to test you, not the skill of your summons. I've seen what you can do with them." Hashirama grinned and quirked one of his fingers in a come-hither motion. "Don't hold back, I'll know if you do."

Excitement raced through his bloodstream. How many people could say they had the pleasure of a no holds spar against Hashirama Senju? He could probably count on one hand the number of people living, and that included Naruto and Sakura. This moment was the most excited he could think of being in a very long time. His thoughts of the village, his brother, and the position of Hokage faded away until all that remained was the fight and his desire to win and prove himself capable to hold his own.

Without even giving a thought to anything but Hashirama, Sasuke darted in with every ounce of speed he possessed. His hands began moving on instinct before he drew breath and blew flames toward his opponent. Wood was definitely weak to fire and the barrier that was immediately risen caught flame and was weakened enough for him to kick through it with a quick motion.

Hashirama's lips quirked up and he jumped back quickly from the attack that would have definitely left a mark. His dark eyes twinkled with mirth and excitement as another movement of hands had water from the nearby stream rising up in the form of a snake. The irony of the use of the water release attack, Snake's Mouth, was not lost on Sasuke, much to his chagrin. He he'd had the time, he would have probably rolled his eyes.

But he did not have time, for the water snake had only one purpose, to devour him, likely drowning him in the process.

"Damn it," he cursed as he began lunging from the slithering of the attacking snake. He had forgotten of Hashirama's ability to use water techniques. He was generally known for his skill with wood release. The second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, was more well-known for his water techniques. He had apparently schooled his brother in some for the attacking jutsu was not an armature attack.

"On the run so soon, Sasuke?"

Sasuke scowled and shifted on his ankles, leaping away just as the snake came crashing down where he stood only moments before. His eyes flared to crimson, tomoe spinning wildly. It was in this state that he saw what the water snake had done. The entire battlefield was soaked. Even Hashirama stood in a puddle brought on by the snake's rampage.

Drawing his sword, Sasuke released his chakra. The familiar feeling of every hair on his body standing on end engulfed him. He could literally feel the lightning building inside him, waiting impatiently for him to release it outward. There would be no more running for him in this battle. He would fight.

With his sword in hand, he tightened his muscles as the snake charged him head on, its watery mouth opening in preparation of swallowing him whole and yet he waited until the precise moment to strike, releasing his Chidori Sword attack in a powerful downward attack.

Lightning shot through the snake sending it to the side to writhe before imploding while the entire battlefield became a hot zone of electricity. Hashirama's eyes widened moments before he quickly jumped from the puddle he stood in and to dry land. Sasuke clenched his teeth in frustration. He did not want to kill the man, but damn it, he did not like to lose either. He was certain not even his former sensei could have dodged the speed of the electricity that exploded through the puddles of water.

He did not have time to think over what his next attack would be because Hashirama attacked as soon as the lightning dissipated. His weaponless attacks were easily blocked, but every time Sasuke moved to attack, the speed of the kicks and punches was increased until he was on the complete defensive. There was not even enough time to draw a weapon or activate a chakra attack. 

Again he was thankful for having kept the armguards from his previous uniform. They had proved more useful than he could count on many occasions, this one proving to be the best use of them.

Sweat was dripping from him and he body felt as if it was being beaten into a bloody pulp even if he never took a direct or unblocked hit. Hashirama was beating away at his defenses until he thought for sure the next strike would be his defeat.

He realized he had made a mistake when he felt his shoulder drop without his consent and knew from experience that a hole was opened in his defense. Any experienced shinobi would be capable of seeing that opening and taking advantage of it.

Hashirama was no exception, though instead of a plowing attack into the opening, Sasuke was jarred as he found himself on his back with one of his own kunai pressed firmly against his throat. He was not even sure how the attack happened; it had been so unbelievably fast. The reality of the situation had him staring in near awe from where he lay. It was no wonder that this man was considered a god amongst shinobi.

As he lay panting on the wet ground, Hashirama grinned down at him with a look of absolute pleasure on his face. With the flaking skin gone over time perhaps with medical treatment, Sasuke would have thought him very much alive and human, yet the black sclera of his eyes gave away his true existence as a resurrected body created from an extremely forbidden jutsu.

Leanly muscled thighs pressed into his hips and the dagger at his throat nicked the skin enough to bring a bead of blood to the surface. None of that mattered as he lay there because he was completely shell-shocked by the man above him.

Contrary to the gossip of some of the people in the village, Sasuke was very much human. Just like any human man, he was attracted to people for various reasons and just like any human man, he became highly aroused after a thrilling battle in which his life is threatened. He almost groaned aloud when Hashirama shifted on top of him just enough to brush against the tent that was making itself known in his loose shinobi trousers.

If Hashirama noticed it, he did not comment, though Sasuke could not fathom him not seeing the tent that seemed to have no intention of going away as the seconds ticked by. The more instinctual part of his brain that was kept deeply hidden beneath enforced control was screaming for release while the analytic part fought for control over the rippling emotions being brought to rise.

The kunai was shifted from his neck to directly above his heart and for the breath of a moment, he wondered if Hashirama was actually going to kill him. Instead of fear, the danger added a thrill to the rushing of blood and if anything, his hard cock seemed to swell even thicker. It took every ounce of willpower not to thrust up and search out relief. What was happening to him? The man above him stared intently but did not offer an answer to the unspoken plea.

"You did well, Sasuke." Hashirama pulled away and stood, offering a hand up which Sasuke took gratefully.

Muscles screamed in agony and he was certain his body would be covered in bruises come the following day. The aching erection was forgotten for the moment as questions rose in his mind about the purpose of the spar. Sasuke could not help but worry over his performance despite the kind words of encouragement. He needed to distinguish himself from the other candidates. He needed to be Hokage.

"Go bath in the stream, I'll set up camp."

Sasuke thought to argue, but his aching muscles refused to allow it of him and he found his feet carrying him to the small stream. He stripped his shirt and armguards from his body before splashing the cool water onto his chest and shoulders. The chill helped the still hard pulsing in his groin, but not as much as he would have liked. Curses he had picked up from Suigetsu and Karin spilled forth unhampered in a moment of weakness.

A quick glance behind him showed him that Hashirama was quite far away, just under the canopy of trees on the opposite side of the clearing. A shiver of excitement shook his body and a whisper of need echoed in his bloodstream. It had been too long since he had bothered finding release, either from a whore or his own hand. His fingers twitched and he covertly glanced in the direction of his companion before moving carefully behind a nearby tree.

The battle had aroused the fire in his blood to such a degree that he could not get his trousers open fast enough. The cold water had been only enough to delay the inevitable. His body wanted what it wanted and as soon as warm air touched his cock, his hand was wrapping around it and tugging insistently. He could feel the pleasant tightening in his body and bit down hard on his lips to withhold the sounds threatening to explode from him.

Most of his masturbatory fantasies incorporated faceless men and women. They were nothing but tools to help bring him off faster, but today, with the memory of lying beneath Hashirama, his mind replayed the moment when he lay with a kunai pressed dangerously close to his jugular. His throat tightened and a small gasp escaped as his mind offered up a more pleasant ending to the battle as he saw the kunai being used to rip his clothes from his body, the cold steel pressing against the flesh of his chest.

His hand increased its movements as the scene played out behind his closed eyes. Hashirama touching his skin, finding all the sensitive places that could break through the control he fought so hard to hold onto. What would his lips feel like as the sucked him down? On some level, he felt he should be ashamed of himself, but he could not find that part of him as his thumb began to stroke over the head and then underneath to the frenulum.

His hips began to thrust into his hand and pants began to spill from him as if he had run for miles. One hand clung desperately to the tree he braced against while the other tightened and stroked on his engorged penis. He needed to come so bad, but it was not real enough.

His free hand scrabbled for a kunai from the pouch attached to his thigh and brought it up to his chest where the Hashirama of his fantasies now pressed it. The sharpened edge pressed into his skin just below his nipple, cutting shallowly into the skin and causing a thin trickle of blood to trail down his abdomen. The pain made the fantasy so much realer to him. In that moment, his fantasy was his reality.

He tasted blood on his lips as his teeth latched onto the inside of his mouth in order to stifle the cry that came as his body tightened into a knot before exploding outward. At least he had enough mind to do that before he collapsed to his knees, hand still pulling frantically at his erection as cum continued to spit out. The orgasm seemed to last forever and was one of the most satisfying he had experienced in a long while.

His body gave a small stilting shudder before he finally released the limp flesh in his hand and half collapsed. For a brief few moments, he savored the feeling running through his blood stream. His muscles were heavy and if he were at home, he could have easily rolled over and fallen into a deep sleep.

But, like most things in his life, the pleasure of the moment quickly faded and he was left with personal disgust. He was not here to fantasize and masturbate to remnants from an era long past. The only purpose he should be focusing on was becoming the Hokage so that he would have the power to change all that was wrong about the village.

He shivered and stiffened as his mind cleared away the remainder of the post-orgasmic haze. With a quick turn, he looked around the area surrounding him. An inkling twitch in the back of his mind gave the sense of someone watching him. He could see in the growing twilight that Hashirama was at the camp and the fire that he started was creating a welcoming glow about the area opposite the stream.

Sasuke pushed back the feeling and shoved it into the back of his mind. Even after opening his senses to the space around him, he could not sense anything out of the ordinary. There was no void of chakra suppression and even the animals seemed perfectly at ease now that the spar between the two shinobi was in the past.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, he finished cleaning himself and tugged his shirt over his head before making his way to the welcoming light of the camp to find out what new tests were in store from him.


	3. Chapter 3

Sasuke wiped all expression from his face as he took a seat on a tree stump near the crackling fire. Some fish roasted over the flames and the fragrant aroma of meat and seasoning tickled his nose. His body was clean and sated; though his mind still fought against things it did not want. Sexual desire was not something he was used to directing toward any person in particular. He was human and had desires, but rarely sated those with actual persons. Participating in sexual endeavors made him nervous and he could not shake the sense of being open for an attack. If he wanted to be honest with himself, he was not sure how to deal with intimacy, even with the company of the prostitutes located in the red light district of the village. The peculiarities of his sexuality were not something he wanted spread around the village. Whores were not known for their closed lips.

"You're thinking hard, Sasuke. What's on your mind?" asked Hashirama as he handed Sasuke a skewer of fish.

Sasuke shifted his eyes from the fire and to the fish in his hand before following to where Hashirama now sat across from him. The light of the fire flickered on his skin, creating a flickering dance between light and shadow that drew his eyes along the strong cut of jaw and deceptively delicate skin.

"What I'm thinking isn't any of your concern," he replied with forced calm. He was forgetting himself and the purpose of this venture into the forest of Fire Country.

Hashirama smiled and slid from the overturned log, bracing his back against the rough bark and then using it to prop his elbow upon while he stared at Sasuke. "You're probably asking yourself why you're out here and that I've likely chosen your friend as the successor since my granddaughter has a great fondness for him and has practically groomed him for the role."

"I wouldn't presume anything."

"That's a lie." Hashirama's eyes grew intense. "You presume a lot of things. Uchihas always do."

"Don't lump me with them," spat Sasuke, his eyes flashing instantly from black to red and then back again.

Hashirama smirked and arched a brow. "You're angry at a lot of people, aren't you, Sasuke?"

"I'm not angry at anyone."

A low hum rumbled from Hashirama. "But something is eating away at you. What is it?"

"It's none of your concern."

"It is if it affects how you would act should you become Hokage. With an attitude like that, I wonder what you really seek by staking a claim to the seat."

Sasuke scoffed and clenched his hands at his side, fighting the urge to reach for the katana settled at his side. "You wouldn't understand."

"I spoke with the former Hokages at length and know all the major events that took place since my death. I'm not completely in the dark about everything regarding your brother."

Sasuke turned his face and stared into the surrounding darkness. A sudden sense of claustrophobia took hold despite the openness of the clearing. Even though they sat in the open, he felt as if the darkness was closing in and he was unable to keep back the nightmares that lay hidden in the depths, things that he wanted to forget.

"Your brother sacrificed more than any shinobi should for the village."

"He should not have had to do it," spat Sasuke, something in him breaking. "He was forced to kill our entire clan just so he could save me. How do you think I feel knowing that my life was worth more than our entire family?"

"Do you hate him?"

A faint tightening of his jaw was the only outward sign of his mental struggle. Inward was a maelstrom of memories and emotions. He went from adoring Itachi to hating him to grieving him to finally understanding him only to have him ripped away from him once more. The wild ride that was his relationship with his brother might be at an end, but the emotions created from that experience were far from finished. Itachi's final words to him had destroyed and remade him in an instant. In some ways, he thought that becoming Hokage would allow him to destroy the old village and rebuild it with ideals more suited for Itachi's beliefs. It was his focus and now he felt as if he was losing what little ground he had taken.

"I don't want to talk about Itachi."

"But I do," replied Hashirama. "Do you hate your brother?"

"I love him...more than anyone in the world. He has always been my entire focus, even when I hated him, I loved him too."

"And Itachi loved Konoha."

Sasuke turned his gaze to the crackling of the fire. "He said that he had always been Konoha's Itachi."

"And you hate the village because of that, because the village sentenced him to the life of a missing nin for no other reason than he was the most loyal of any shinobi and as a result, could not take his own life in case the village should need him again. Yet still, he loved Konoha. That was a poor reward for doing what was best for the village."

"Best for the village," scoffed Sasuke. "That is the core of all the problems. What is best for the village seems to be decided by a select few while everyone else is left in the dark until they meet the end of a blade because their death better suited the village's goal."

"You think the Uchiha were in the right concerning their rebellion?"

"It's not a matter of right or wrong. The village elders and the Hokage did nothing but kill them rather than deal with the problems when they began. They knew for weeks or months prior to the rebellion and still the only option they took was death. Then, they hid the truth and allowed a loyal man suffer to protect their own reputations and agendas. And he did it. He suffered for them."

"And that is the core of your hatred. You do not fault the village for dealing with your clan the way it did, but rather your hate stems from the elders hiding the truth and allowing it to fester over time."

"I don't hate anyone." The words were more of a half-truth than a full out lie. He was not sure the full depths of what he felt for the village and the elders that controlled it. He did not hate it, but he could find little to endear him to it. Itachi was what kept him there. Making the village a place that Itachi would have wished it to be was his purpose.

And Sasuke needed a purpose.

His entire life was spent following one goal or another. His first goal of memory was to be just like his older brother. That eventually transformed into his desire to kill his brother, which was what set him on a path taking him far from the village. Goals were what kept him going. Without them, he floundered about. 

"I asked you before, but I'll do so again. Why do you want to be Hokage?"

"Because the village needs someone who will fix what is rotting away instead of merely covering it up with thin bandages and temporary fixes."

"And you think you are that person? What makes you think Naruto couldn't do it?"

"He's too nice," stated Sasuke mildly. "He would want everyone to be happy. He would allow the elders to dictate his every move and would be little more than an idiot figurehead begging for scraps to support his own small projects while the actual control of the village would be in the hands of people who would continue doing what they wished."

"But you know better? Is that not a good thing to want everyone to be happy?"

"Making everyone happy is a pointless endeavor. Trying to do so will only make matters worse in the end. The core is souring and needs to be reformed. The old must be torn down so that the new can be built."

Hashirama's lips quirked slightly. "Like a forest?"

Sasuke frowned, not quite following the reference. "What do you mean?"

"When a forest burns down, the soil is renewed and new plants and trees grow from the ashes of the previous forest." Hashirama sighed and steepled his fingers together. "That is a dangerous road to follow for it could easily lead to anarchy and the complete destruction of everything the village is supposed to stand for."

"Not if there is a strong leader in place."

"And you consider yourself strong enough to do such a thing?"

"Who else could?"

Hashirama was silent and his silence annoyed Sasuke. Where before he spoke almost continuously, he now kept his own council within his thoughts. He wanted to yell out for Hashirama to tell him what he was doing was the right thing. Some innate part of him wanted his approval, and not because he was the first Hokage. He respected the man as a warrior and as a shinobi, but that was not the reason he sought out his approval. He did not understand why he needed it, but it ate away at him until he was very nearly ready to leap across the length of the camp and tackle him to the ground, demanding everything.

Enough time had elapsed and Sasuke came to the only conclusion he could. "You don't approve?"

Hashirama started slightly and glanced to Sasuke. "So much has changed since I formed the village. The world changed. People changed. I'm an archaic being—no longer fully human, yet unwilling to pass on to the afterlife. It is not my place to approve or disapprove the thoughts of others not raised in my time."

"That's an evasion."

He chuckled lightly. "I am a shinobi after all."

"You asked me to be honest, why can't you do the same?"

Hashirama sighed and looked directly into Sasuke's eyes. "Because you are not the only one who is afraid of speaking your thoughts."

"I am not afraid."

"You hide it well, but I know you're afraid of disappointing your brother."

Sasuke snarled and with little thought, lunged across the length of the campsite. Maybe he caught Hashirama by surprise or perhaps the former Hokage wanted to allow Sasuke to vent his frustrations on him; whatever the reason for his attack not being deflected, Sasuke did not care. He was seeing red. Without even willing it, his eyes were spiraling into the Mangekyou and locked in the haze of the dōjutsu.

Hands moved on instinct. A kunai was extracted from a hidden pouch in the sleeve of his left hand and pressed against Hashirama's throat in a reversed image of the end of their earlier spar. This time, Sasuke was in the dominant position. His anger was rolling off of him as he bent low so that he could stare directly into dark eyes with his swirling red. He did not activate the abilities of the sharingan, yet continued to force eye contact.

"I'm not afraid of disappointing Itachi," he stated firmly.

Hashirama's expression did not change as he lay beneath Sasuke. "You can lie to me, but never to yourself."

"And what about you?" hissed Sasuke, pressing the kunai a bit more firmly into the tanned skin. "What are you afraid of?"

"You know you can't kill me like I am. I'm no longer human. I will regenerate no matter how many times you stab me."

"Maybe not, but I would be willing to bet it still hurts." Sasuke sneered down at Hashirama and pressed the kunai firm enough that a thin trail of blood appeared and trickled down his neck. "Don't try to detract from what I asked you. You say I'm afraid of disappointing Itachi. Then tell me, what are you afraid of, Hashirama-sama?"

"You're not ready for what I'm afraid of." With a quick motion, their positions were reversed and suddenly Sasuke found himself staring up into Hashirama's face, the hand holding the kunai pinned with a firm hand to the wrist.

"Coward," snarled Sasuke as he struggled to pull free.

"Do you truly not know your own fear? Does it frighten you so much?" Hashirama lowered his head so that their noses were scant centimeters from touching. "Can you not see it?"

Sasuke stopped struggling and stared with impossibly wide eyes into the dark orbs that gleamed down at him. His breath caught in his throat and he could think of nothing but how it felt to be pinned beneath the man of which his more recent fantasies revolved around. What did he do or how did he react to the feel of body heat pressing into him?

An unbidden shiver rippled through him, starting at his scalp and working down to his toes. His breath finally began again, but with shuddering whispers as the heat melting into him began to travel along his body and into his groin. As a shinobi, he had complete control over nearly all of his body functions from breathing to heart rate to chakra output. And yet, he felt like an academy student once more as he pressed against the man rising above him. 

There was no denying that Hashirama could feel the rise of his erection as it began to press insistently against the material of his trousers. The release he had taken earlier might as well have not happened for his body screamed out its need once more, even against his will. It knew what he wanted even if his mind refused to acknowledge any sign of desire. It knew...and reacted.

And Hashirama's eyes never left his, not for an instant. There was something hidden in those dark depths, a flash of emotion that seemed to express everything Sasuke felt—accepting him for what he was and asking the same in return.

And for that moment in time, it was enough. He reacted without thought—only the drive to complete the connection that had risen to life. Forgetting the world and his past and his brother for what seemed like the first time, he closed the distance between their lips and finally tasted what until that moment had been only a fantasy which in no way compared to the reality.

Lips, moist and hot, were pressed to his and he could not restrain the delight that spilled rapidly into his bloodstream. Heat and lust and need were pressed upon the meeting mouths. It was not enough, the pressing of closed lips, and Sasuke had no experience with kisses, excluding those two fallacies of lip meeting between him and Naruto. If anything, those faux kisses were a reason he chose to never kiss his few lovers. He knew the mechanics of kisses and attempted to gain more intimate knowledge of the man pressing him down into the cold ground.

Hashirama's body froze at the touch of his tongue tracing along the seam of his lips. For a moment, Sasuke pulled back in disappointment and renewed anger. His desire was being rebuked and he needed an outlet for the built-up lust plowing through him. Anger had always come so easily to him, so he instinctively fell back on that old constant.

"Get off," he snarled.

Hashirama did not move, his breath coming slow and easily. He chuckled lightly and removed a hand from restraining Sasuke to stroke his thumb over Sasuke's turned down lips. "You kiss like an adolescent."

Sasuke glared and moved to shove the man from him when lips crashed down into his. The hand formerly at his lips was now holding his jaw and guiding his head into the perfect angle for their lips to completely meld. Sasuke's earlier kiss, innocent and yet desire fueled, in no way compared to the utter taking of his lips now.

Lips and tongue completely devoured him and the gap in their experience was made obvious in how completely he was consumed by the lips sucking at his. There was no sense of time and just as easily as his anger had come, it drifted away under the assault to his mouth.

Arching against Hashirama, he opened his lips wider in an unspoken demand for more while his hips unconsciously rolled against the weight of the body pressing him down into the dirt. It was a dual assault that left him completely breathless and very much needing reprieve from the building lust.

And his unspoken need was answered as the hand cupping his face drifted down the length of his neck and chest before slipping beneath the black shirt he wore. The instant fingers brushed against the sensitive flesh of his stomach he went rigid. It was enough to bring a whimper from him—a sound he never thought to make during this particular act. During each of his previous encounters, he was always in control, even when choosing to play the bottom. Now, it felt as if all that control was being taken, ever so willingly, from him.

Lips were drawn apart and Sasuke tried to follow, only to shudder as they were pressed to his ear. "Shall we forget our fears for tonight?"

"I told you that I'm not afraid."

Hashirama pulled back with a chuckle. "Then, neither shall I be."

A hand tugged the kunai from Sasuke's slack fingers and tossed it aside before sliding both palms against his stomach and tugging his shirt up and over his head. There was no point in resisting because he did not want to. His body screamed for it and his mind was barely able to do anything other than follow through with the demands made in the fog of lust.

Firelight played over his skin, dancing and flickering. His hands tugged insistently at Hashirama's fishnet shirt and it too joined the growing pile of their clothes. Things were moving far too slow for Sasuke's desires and he once more turned the tides and shifted them so that he straddled Hashirama's hips.

This motion brought added pressure to his throbbing groin and he threw back his head as he pressed down into the matching hardness. Even through the barrier of their pants, he could not get enough of the pleasure brought on by grinding against a hard hip. His breath panted in and out rapidly and his eyes were clenched tight as the pressure grew and threatened to overwhelm him.

Hands slid to his hips and then slid around to release the snap and hidden zipper. As the warmth wrapped around his dick, he went rigid and it took all the control he could muster not to spill himself under such a simple touch. He felt like a teenager again with the accompaniment of raging hormones.

Wanting and needing the building of pressure to end, but not wanting to simply take his own pleasure like a cad, he fumbled for the release on Hashirama's pants and reached inside to pull the inside hardness free. He could not stop himself from stroking his hands along the length, testing the girth from base to flared tip. The sound of Hashirama's indrawn breath created a sense of satisfaction within him and repeated the action so to hear it again.

Through the haze of lust, he stared down with hooded eyes at the man beneath him and was unable to stop himself from lowering his lips to press against the warm skin of his chest. Hashirama felt alive to the touch and not some remnant created from a dead Zetsu clone and chakra. Hashirama was real to him and that was all he cared about.

"What are you doing, Sasuke?"

Sasuke's eyes flickered upward. "Tasting you."

"Then, come here."

Sasuke allowed himself to be drawn upward to meet the lips of his companion. Tongues began to duel once more, distracting him from the hands that found their way once more into his pants and began to tug at his dick with hard pulls. He tried to pull away, but a hand kept him pressed close while the hand stroking him adjusted just enough to press their genitals together—cock to cock, before resuming the stroking.

"God," growled Sasuke against lips as his hips began to roll and thrust in time to the stroking hands.

He could feel Hashirama's cock pressed to his and slithered a hand between their bodies to assist the hand in their mutual pleasure. Their pleasure was of the simple sort. There were no obvious emotions, only the slaking of lust, and yet it seemed to be so much more. Unlike with any past sexual partner, he felt bared in more than just skin. This felt more real to him than all those past experiences combined and as he came with a long and drawn-out growl, his soul and mind felt at peace for an all too brief moment in time. The splash of added wetness and an equally fulfilled grunt alerted him to Hashirama's release.

With the tension gone, the strength left his body and Sasuke finally slumped over the body of the former Hokage. His eyes were closed and little sparks of residual pleasure worked through every possible pathway in his body. He barely registered a dry cloth wiping at his body or how his body somehow ended up curled against a warm frame. Satiation and relief from the agony of his desires was all that he could focus on. As sleep tugged him, he wondered offhandedly if this act would influence Hashirama's decision on who became the next Hokage, hoping it would not.

oOo

Sasuke awoke immediately upon feeling Hashirama pull away from him. His eyes remained closed for only a moment before opening. There was no point in pretending to remain asleep when one knew his companion was aware of having woken him. Shinobi were light sleepers by nature and tended to stir at the slightest sound or movement, at least enough to ensure there was no danger before dozing back off.

"Good morning," said Hashirama quietly, as if he was opposed to disturbing the gentle silence of the early morning.

Sasuke nodded in acknowledgement before reaching for the shirt that had been discarded the previous night and slipped it over his head. His thoughts spun with insecurity. It was a rare day when he was unsure of how to proceed. His confidence was always something that annoyed Naruto, yet now he felt like a teenager.

"About last night..."

His head shot up and he stood in a rush. "Don't."

He refused to be rejected. If anything, he would be the one to place distance between them. He needed to be in control of what happened to him. Control was all he had at times.

"Sasuke..."

"I did not intend for last night to happen, but it was not meant to sway your decision. It should not have happened."

Hashirama's face hardened and his hand shot out to latch onto Sasuke's arm before he could flee toward the nearby stream. "Don't run from me. Maybe it was wrong of me to let things go as far as they did, but I wanted it to happen. I have wanted it to happen for a long time."

Sasuke was stunned. His lips parted but no sound escaped. He blinked and swallowed before finally speaking. "What?"

"The first time I saw you, you were barely out of childhood. You were curious and quiet, not yet grown into the person you were to be. There was coldness in your gaze that called out to me. And, I wanted you then and there. I wanted to burn away that ice I felt from you. It is quite shameful that I, a resurrected shinobi, should lust for someone who was barely more than a child, and yet I could not take my eyes from you. I'm sure my brother noticed and that was why he treated you so coldly. At first, you reminded me so much of my lost friend, but even I could not compare the two of you for longer than an instant. Madara was a mere shadow compared to you. You were willing to listen and make your own judgment even when two opposing forces seemed to be pulling you in multiple directions. I respect power, but I do so even more to those who are willing to bend rather than break."

Dark eyes widened noticeably and Sasuke could not halt the shocked look from spreading across his face. There were no words to describe the thrill of pleasure and unhampered confusion working through him at the confession from Hashirama. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"You were young, still are, though you're more mature now and have proven that you do not need others to tell you what road to walk. I've watched you for a long time."

"It's you that I feel watching me, even without being able to figure out whom."

"Yes."

The shock gradually faded and anger rose to the surface in its wake. "Then you brought me here to seduce me? You never had any intention of supporting my bid for Hokage."

"No," said Hashirama quickly. "I wanted you, but the reason I brought you here was the same as the reason I spent time with Naruto and Sakura. You were one of the few that had proven yourself worthy of my eye along with your teammates."

"Former teammates," snapped Sasuke.

Hashirama sighed and shook his head. "You have so much anger inside of you. I had thought to help you work through it, but I fear it will take more than a few days to do so."

He tightened his hand on Sasuke's arm before releasing his grip and stroking fingers down Sasuke's cheek in a tender gesture that soothed some of the anger. The touch was gentle, as was the expression on his face as he stared at Sasuke. There was no deception evident in his voice or his body language. 

Sasuke was torn—his emotions running amok. He did not know what to think or how to react. A part of him wanted to embrace the man before him while another wanted to run and hide. He had not felt this indecisive since he was an adolescent torn between gaining the power to kill his brother and remaining in the village of his birth.

"What do you want from me?"

"Nothing you can't give." Hashirama dropped his hand and stared intently at him. "I simply want a chance."

In the end, he just needed to think. Some might say it was the fear talking. He had argued so firmly against possessing any fear and yet he was now backing away from the man who wore his emotions so plainly on his face.

"I need to go."

He did not stop to wonder how he might look to be retreating so easily from what some might term a battle. Discretion was sometimes the better part of valor, or so he had heard.

Pausing only to grab his travel pack, he fled into the trees. Hashirama did not follow. He was certain he would have felt his presence because he pushed himself almost to the point of passing out from exertion. The former Hokage could never have maintained invisibility and kept the pace.

The trees passed in almost a blur of green and brown as he sped through them. His focus remained completely on placing one foot in front of another. Even with the forced focus, his mind spun the events of the past day. His attraction to the man warred with his long held desire to rebuild the village. Now, he was uncertain what this turn of events between him and the former Hokage would hold for goals.

He stopped running, slowing to a jog before halting in small clearing surrounded by large trees. Sweat dripped from his brow and his shirt clung to his body. The midday sun was bright through the canopy of trees, leaving him surprised at how long he had run at such a full-out pace. He was too exhausted to continue and jumped into the branches of a sturdy tree to rest a bit before continuing onto the village. The long detour left him at least five hours of hard running from home.

Leaning his head back against the trunk, he heaved a sigh. It was times like these when he missed Juugo's silent presence. Unlike Karin and Suigetsu, Juugo would simply listen on the rare instances when he needed someone to speak to. He could express his worries to him and feel the comforting understanding from the large man. When he had parted ways with the members of his self-made team, he had never thought to need them again for they could never truly be at ease in Konoha and would never be welcome amidst the Konoha shinobi ranks as his own position was barely tolerated.

He turned his gaze upward and stared through the thick foliage. Did he hate the village? Hate seemed like such a strong emotion and yet, there was little to love about the festering place he called home. He was barely welcome amongst his fellow shinobi. Not for the first time, he wondered what it was about the village that Itachi had loved so much that he would risk everything to protect it. Could he find it within himself to cultivate such a feeling where disdain had once prevailed? So much about the village needed correcting and as Hokage, he could easily do so, but could he do it without being in that ultimate position of power?

His mind had always been quick. It would be hard and he would need to put aside his disdain for the village, but he could change the face of the village. Regardless of whether or not he was named Hokage, it was time that he began correcting things in Konoha until it was a place his brother could truly be proud of. The understanding of what he would do eased the part of his mind that gnawed at him and peace prevailed. He knew what he would do.

But, the issue with his village was not the only thought laying heavy on his mind.

There was still Hashirama and his confession to deal with. 

The lust he felt for Hashirama still coiled inside him, as real as anything he had ever felt. He could no sooner deny his attraction to him than he could say the sky was green. But, did he want more than a quick fuck and the emotionless pleasure that came with it? For the longest time, there had been little to occupy his thoughts but furthering his goals; and yet now here he was, having run away like a scared virgin because his goals were suddenly less important to him. He had been alone for so long that the thought of no longer coming home to an empty apartment was almost a welcome fantasy.

His thoughts did not have time to truly cultivate before the sound of a twig snapping jerked him from the workings of his mind. A kunai was in his hand and he was crouched in preparation to attack from above when his eyes lighted upon Hashirama standing calmly beneath him. He then realized the snapping of the twig was done to purposely announce his presence.

While he would have rather thought longer on the subject, he knew there would be no more running. He would face things as they were. With that in mind, he leapt gracefully from the tree and landed lightly before the man that had forced him to face things he had hidden from.

"Why did you follow me?"

"Did you think I wouldn't?"

Sasuke inclined his head and stared at Hashirama. His body language blared nervousness and uncertainty, something he had never thought to see on a Hokage. He then realized that Hashirama was allowing him to see it. He was allowing Sasuke to see the man instead of the icon.

"Did you think I would abandon the village again? Is that why you followed?"

Hashirama froze and shook his head. "That thought never crossed my mind."

Sasuke snorted and leaned against the tree. "Then, you're the only one in the village who would not have thought that."

"Sasuke..."

Shaking his head, Sasuke held up a hand. "Before we go any further, I have to know. Are you going to recommend me for the position of Hokage? Be honest with me."

Hashirama's lips tightened and he blew out a puff of air before answering. "No."

Sasuke closed his eyes. He thought he would be angry or at least a bit more disappointed. Instead, he felt nothing except a bit of relief. "I see."

"Sasuke, you are a strong and capable shinobi, one of the strongest I have ever met, but there are things you have to work out before you can lead a village."

"I know."

Hashirama's eyes widened. "You know?"

"I've had time to think."

"About what?"

"A lot of things." Sasuke pushed away from the tree and did not stop until he was face to face with Hashirama. "I know you've chosen Naruto, but I still think the village elders will walk all over him."

"Are you angry?"

"No. I thought I would be, but I'm not."

Hashirama released a small chuckle. "I have a confession to make, Sasuke."

"While it is true that I had no intention of choosing who I would back until I had time with all three of you, the two who are not meant for the roll of Hokage were not intended to be discarded and forgotten. A Hokage needs advisors he can trust. I had always intended for the two not chosen for Hokage to be sworn in as advisors. You aren't the only one who sees corruption in the village. Perhaps much of it was meant with good intentions, but sometimes such only leads to suffering. You wanted to change the village and thought the only way to do so was as Hokage, but there is another way...if you want to take it."

"As Naruto's advisor?" Sasuke laughed, unable to remove the bitterness from his tone. "What makes you think he would listen to me?"

"Because he told me so. He values your opinion greatly."

"Does he?" The thought was almost funny. He and Naruto had competed for so long that it was almost second nature to do so. That Naruto would actively listen to his advice seemed to exceed his ability to fathom.

"I think it's time the two of you put your past behind you. It is long overdue."

"An advisor to the Hokage?" His lips twitched faintly before turning down. "And us?"

Hashirama face softened. "I pushed for too much, too quickly. I was greedy and afraid of missing my chance. Tobirama always yelled at me for being such. I would like to try again, the right way."

"Is there a right way?"

"I don't know, but I would like to try regardless."

Sasuke nodded and sent him a small smile. "I would like that as well."

"Does it bother you what I am?"

"No. Does it bother you what I've done?"

Hashirama scoffed. "No."

"Then, I suppose we should see where this takes us."

"I suppose we should."

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he could almost see his brother smiling as peace took hold. He was under no beguilement that things would be perfect and last forever. Working on a daily basis with Naruto would try even the most stalwart shinobi, but things suddenly seemed to be falling into their proper place. He would not get the position of Hokage, but perhaps he would get something better out of the ordeal. When he felt Hashirama fall into step beside him, he was certain of it. The darkness in his soul seemed a little less cloying as he stood within Hashirama's light. If it would last, he did not know, but regardless, he would bask in it for as long as he could and let the future come as it willed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had kind of an oops moment and forgot to post the chp on this site. Thanks for anyone who read, commented, or gave kudos. All are much appreciated.


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